


A Gallifreyan Night's Dream

by Swarms_of_crabs



Series: Children of Gallifrey [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s08e04 Listen, First Meetings, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, The Master's Drums (Doctor Who)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:28:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24658357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swarms_of_crabs/pseuds/Swarms_of_crabs
Summary: "It's not easy, you know. Being the only child left out in the cold."***The story of two little boys on Gallifrey, and who they grow up to become
Relationships: The Doctor | Theta Sigma/The Master | Koschei (Doctor Who: Academy Era), The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who)
Series: Children of Gallifrey [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782829
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	1. The Woman

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first ever fanfic, so any constructive feedback in the comments would be greatly appreciated! 
> 
> This takes place on Gallifrey, just after the events of "Listen". The quote is from "The Empty Child"
> 
> I'll update soon, the second chapter is already almost done.

The little boy was crying again.

He couldn't explain why. Fear, yes. But also loneliness, rejection, anger, and all those other emotions felt by a child crying alone in the dark. He had nobody to stop him, or help him calm down, and so he didn't. Even with his low body temperature, the barn felt cold, and the hay mattress underneath him did little to help with his shivering. The only light was the silvery glimmer of the twin moons, flooding through the slats in the ceiling of the decrepit building.

The boy heard the door creak, and stifled his sobs with the skill of a child who is used to hiding their feelings from adults. He lay, stock still, as the two grown ups spoke. He didn't understand all their words, but he could understand enough to grasp their topic of conversation.

"Why doesn't he sleep in the house with the other boys?"

"He can't just run away crying all the time."

"He'll be never make a Time Lord."

More silent tears streaked the boy's pale face. He didn't want to join the army, and he definitely didn't want to be a Time Lord. He'd seen what they'd done in the name of justice, experienced first hand how cruel they could be. He didn't want to kill, and he didn't want to sit back and watch planets burn either. All he wanted was to play, to explore and be free. But even at such a young age, he knew that wasn't an option. He was a high-born child of Gallifrey, and he knew what was expected of him.

The adults had left, so the boy released his pent up sobs. He curled up tighter, whether for comfort or warmth he didn't know, and tried to forget what he had just heard.

"Clara! Clara!"

The voice was loud, and rather coarse and unfriendly as far as voices go. Its accent was something foreign and unfamiliar to the little boy, but something about it echoed in his head, like a forgotten song. It was so familliar, but he couldn't think of where he might have heard it. His fear fought with his curiosity, and eventually curiosity won, so he called out into the night.

"Hello? Who's there?" His voice sounded weak and quiet in the still air. There was no response, save the faint crackle of straw under his back, and his own laboured breathing.

"Hello?"

He asked again.

He swung his legs over the old wooden bedframe, his bare feet pressing into the prickly hay. He looked around, but could see nothing save a vague rectangular shape in the corner, too obscured by shadows to make out any details.

And then a hand closed around his ankle, and his breathing stopped. 

"It's okay" The voice wasn't what he expected. It was kind, the voice of a young woman. Not one of the matrons, judging by the unfamiliar cadence in her voice. Her hand was warm, feverish by Gallifreyan standards, and the boy wondered vaguely if she was sick, or if she was just a monster

"This is just a dream. Just lie back again. Just lie back on the bed." She spoke gently, hardly more than a whisper, but her words carried clearly through the room.

The boy didn't move. The hand was still clenched tightly around his leg.

"It'll all be okay if you just lie down, and go to sleep. Just do that for me. Just... sleep."

Agonizingly slowly, the hand released its grip, and the boy was able to lie back down on the rough straw mattress. He began to cry again, this time in fear. After a second, or maybe several minutes, he felt the same warm hand on his head. His breath hitched, but then he continued his weeping with abandon.

The hand moved slowly, gingerly, carding between locks of his sandy blond hair. The boy's sobbing slowed to the occasional whimper, and despite himself he couldn't help feeling calmed by the warm hand in his hair and the woman's soothing whispers. She spoke many words, about dreams and fear and listening, but the boy really wasn't listening at all. He was too focused on how wonderful it felt to be loved, and to feel like someone cared for him, and would protect him no matter what. Somewhere deep in his child's brain, he wondered if this was what family felt like.

When the boy's breathing began to even out, the warm hand left his head, and he heard footsteps crackling on the hay, folllowd by the faint creak of a door. Warm yellow light briefly flooded under his closed eyelids, before he was left once again in darkness. He sat up in his bed again, and listened in fascination to the wheezing and groaning coming from the corner, before the box shaped shadow gave way to more hay and wood paneling.

He felt lonely again, but he no longer felt so lost. He noticed a little shape by his bedside that hadn't been there before, and when he plucked it from the floor the plastic was still warm from the woman's hand. Upon closer examination, it was a small figure of a man, wearing strange clothes unlike anything he'd seen before on Gallifrey. He tucked the figure into his breast pocket, feeling inexplicably comforted by the bizarre gift.

By now, his tears were spent, and the agonizing pain in his hearts had receded to a faint ache. He briefly considered going back inside with the other noviciates, but he knew he'd be teased and tormented. Aside from that, the heat and the light and the noise held little attraction to him, and so the lost little boy was content to lie back on his straw bed, staring up at the stars. They shone so brightly, he felt as if he could reach out and cup their liquid light in his hands. Somewhere deep in his hearts, he yearned to see them. To touch every star in the sky and each planet orbiting them. It didn't matter if it was impossible, or illegal. He would find a way.

The little boy closed his eyes, soaring nebulas and galaxies swirling behind his eyelids. He imagined how it would feel, the freedom to go anywhere, do anything, see everything. Someday, he promised himself. Someday, I'll see the stars. 

There was only one problem. The universes and planets in his mind were cold, unfathomable. Beautiful, yes, but lomley too. The thought of traveling forever, with nowhere to call home and nobody to share the universe with, sounded sad. He'd like a friend. He'd never had one before of course, such things were frowned upon, especially for children born to the high families. But a friend sounded good. The little boy thought that a friend sounded very good indeed.


	2. The Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really not sure where this fic is headed, but I'm so desperate for Thoschei content that I decided to make some myself

He awoke, if he'd ever been asleep, to more footfalls. He may need more sleep than the adults of his species, but he was still a light sleeper and very easily roused. These weren't the heavy, clumsy steps of one of the matrons or teachers however, nor were they the hesitant footfalls of the strange woman. Instead, they were light and quick, and they would have been silent if not for the hay strewn across the floor. The footsteps of a child.

The boy turned his back, and tried to make it seem as if he were asleep. He knew how the other boys laughed at him, and the last thing he needed right now was to be teased, especially when he currently felt so at peace with the world. So he did his best to steady his breathing and slow his heartbeats. Just when he thought that perhaps the intruder had left, he felt two gentle taps on his shoulder.

"Psst!"

The boy ignored it, holding on to the hope that if he was still and quiet enough, his visitor would give up and leave. It was in vain though, for the small thin fingers tapped again. He felt the mattress sink down as someone sat on the edge of his bed.

"It's okay. I'm not gonna pick on you or anything."

Still no response.

"I know you're awake. I heard you roll over when I came in."

"Go away." The boy's response was muffled through his thin blanket.

"No."

"What'd you want?"

The other voice was silent, as if contemplating the best way to respond to this.

"I heard the teachers talking. They said there was a boy crying in the barn. I wanted to see if they were lying." His voice, for it was definitely another boy, was gentle, but there was a quiet fire in it.

"Why would they be lying?" The boy's voice was no longer muffled, but he still had his back turned.

"Dunno. But they've lied to us before, so I figured I couldn't trust them."

Another pause.

"How did you hear?"

"Huh?"

"The teachers never go into the house this late at night. How did you hear them talking about me?"

"When I can't sleep, I like to go up to the roof. There's a pipe outside my window I can climb on, and the other kids never notice me 'cause I'm so quiet." There was a note of pride in his voice. "I heard the teachers talking outside so I went over and listened to them. When they'd gone away I jumped down and snuck over here. I don't think anyone saw me."

Finally, the boy rolled over and propped himself up on his elbows, and took a proper look at the intruder.

The other boy seemed close to his own age, but he couldn't be certain. His hair was dark brown, but in the dim light it appeared jet black, and it seemed to suck all the light from around him. His face was pale and pointed, with high cheekbones and a straight nose. But what struck the boy most were his eyes. They were a clear blue, and there was something in them that sparkled, a fire in his gaze that the boy had rarely seen among his people. It was all too familiar though, for it was a fire that the boy had seen in his own eyes. Despite his annoyance, he couldn't help but think that the other boy was rather handsome.

"Really? That's brilliant!" He smiled brightly, and was met with a wide grin from the dark haired boy.

"Thanks." His smile faded as he noticed the tear tracks on the boy's face and his puffy red eyes.

"So, they weren't lying then." The boy shook his head. "What's wrong?"

He merely averted his gaze and said nothing.

"It's okay if you don't wanna say."

More silence.

"What's your name?"

The boy responded quietly "Theta Sigma."

"That's long. Can I just call you Theta?"

"Only my friends call me Theta"

The other boy paused at this, before asking "Wanna be friends?"

Theta Sigma looked up, meeting the boy's eyes. He smiled weakly. "Sure." He said. What's your name?" He added, after some deliberation.

"I'm Koschei, of the noble and most ancient house of Oakdown." He drew himself up straighter, puffing out his chest a little in pride.

Theta raised his eyebrows "I'm not supposed to talk to Oakdowns. The grown ups told me that there's some sort of rivalry between the Oakdowns and the Lungbarrows. I don't really get it."

Nodding, Koschei responded "Yeah, I heard about that. Do you still wanna be friends?"

"Yeah, I reckon that's just grown up stuff. All the other Lungbarrow kids are mean to me anyways, and you're the only person who's been nice to me here, so I figure you can't be too bad."

"I dunno. All the other kids seem kinda slow, don't you think? All they do is run around playing games, and they do whatever the grown ups ask." There was a note of distain in Koschei's voice, as if he couldn't imagine why someone would ever listen to grown ups.

"I guess. I think they just don't know what else to do other than what they're told." He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up beside Koschei my, all fear of monsters forgotten. "How old are you?"

"Seven. You?"

"Seven." He hesitated, then asked "If you're an Oakdown, that means you'll have to either join the army or the Academy next year."

"Same with you"

"Yeah. I don't want to though."

"Why not?" Koschei looked puzzled.

"Well, I don't wanna be in the army cause all they do is kill people. And I don't wanna be a Time Lord cause there's too many rules, and I don't wanna order people around either."

Koschei considered this for a moment, before his eyes brightened. "How bout this. I'm gonna join the Academy, and then when I graduate I'll become President, and then I can change all the rules so you can do whatever you want!"

Theta smiled again. "Yeah, and we can get our own TARDIS and go on trips when you're not busy!"

"I'll make a rule that we can have a TARDIS for just the two of us, so that we don't need to see anyone else"

"Cool!"

The two boys continued to talk and laugh together. They didn't really say anything important, just those simple and trivial things that two young boys talk about. Perhaps it was a few minutes, perhaps several hours. Neither of them could tell. And as they talked, the dark and lonely barn seemed to become just a little warmer and brighter, illuminated by the light of friendship.

Eventually though, they were interrupted by heavy footsteps approaching the building. Theta and Koschei looked at each other, then they both sprang up off the bed in perfect synchronicity. Koschei looked around the room for somewhere to hide, before Theta seized his hand and dragged him into an old wardrobe, clumsily pulling the doors shut from the inside. 

The boys tried to hide their laboured breathing as the barn door was pushed open once again. Theta turned to see Koschei staring at him, eyes glittering, and they both had to stifle a fit of giggles as they took in their situation.

"I heard you were still in here and I thought you might like some-" The voice of the matron trailed off as she realized the barn was empty. Theta peeped through a crack in the side of the wardrobe, and saw a woman holding a glass of water. "Theta Sigma? Where are you?" 

She turned in their direction, and the look on her face was one of such sheer confusion that Koschei couldn't help letting out a snort of amusement. Theta shot him a look and he covered his mouth, but it was already too late.

The matron looked up, and approached the door of the wardrobe. With no option of escape, the two boys gave each other a look that clearly said "well, it was nice knowing you". The doors swung open, and they were both hauled out by their collars.

After a sten talking to by the headmaster that left even the cocky and prideful Koschei red-faced and abashed, the two boys were promptly dragged back to their respective dormitories. Koschei and Theta shared one last desperate look, before a door slammed between them and they were list from each other's view.

As he curled up under his crimson bedspread, Theta tried to make himself as small as possible. He knew all the other Lungbarrow children would tease and torment him mercilessly in the morning, and already he could hear hushed whispers and giggles in the otherwise silent room. Theta stared at the gray Barkstone paneling on the walls, and he thought of the boy. He wondered if they would ever meet again. He thought of how he hadn't made fun of him, even in his hour of humiliation. More than anything, he thought of that little spark of adventure hiding deep behind his clear blue eyes. Blue was such a rare colour to see on Gallifrey. It was considered somewhat taboo, and even the young and oblivious boy had some idea of the connotations that it held. 

The ceiling here was gray, just like the walls. There were no gaps through which he could see the sky, and even the small window was situated in the bunk above him, rendering it invisible. He couldn't see the stars here, or the moons. Only the dark silhouettes of other children. He thought about the mysterious woman. Had that been a dream? He wasn't sure. To be perfectly honest, he didn't much care. Either way, she was gone now, and he knew deep in his hearts that he wouldn't see her again for a very, very long time. Perhaps never. He felt his eyes well up with tears again, and he wept silently for all the things that had been and never would be again. 

Eventually, he drifted into an uneasy sleep, the feeling of the woman's warm hand still ever present in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! More chapters coming whenever I get around to it. Constructive feedback is more than welcome.


	3. The Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One year later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This chapter is mostly filler, as well as me trying to explain why Koschei had such a dumb haircut in the Sound of Drums flashback.

Theta woke early the morning of his initiation. Not by choice, of course. If he had a choice in the matter, he would've stayed in his bunk all day, or else ran off into the wilderness to join a tribe of Shobogans, never to be seen again. 

But he didn't have a choice. He was roughly roused by one of the Academy staff, a Time Lord in the body of a tall young man, with closely cropped hair and steel grey eyes. The man hauled him gently from his bed and escorted him from his room, down an empty hallway and through the double doors that marked the entrance to the noviciate's house. It was still very early, and the first sun had still just begun to rise. It casted long red shadows over each tree and blade of grass as they passed. 

He was brought into a large, rectangular building that he recognized as the Initiation hall, and down a narrow hallway to a bathing room He was not given any breakfast. He had reached the age that he was no longer expected to eat on a regular basis, save if he was sick or injured. 

The man instructed him to strip, and to wash his hair and face with the soap and water he was provided with. He enjoyed the feeling of the hot water against his bare skin, and once he managed to ignore the reason that he was washing, he felt quite relaxed. Once he was clean, he patted himself dry with one of the many fluffy towels stacked inthe corner

When he left the bathing room, he found that the grey eyed man had gone, and there was a clean set of ceremonial robes laid out for him. He put them on. The fabric was soft, but also thick, and he soon felt uncomfortably hot in the small room. Some time passed, wherein the little boy fidgeted nervously, before the door opened once again. He was once again escorted from the room, this time by a woman with a stern, round face. She gripped his hand tightly, and walked him down another hall. Two left turns, one right, a set of stairs, and another left took them to another room, identical to the many they had passed on the way. All this time, the woman didn't speak.

This room had a mirrored vanity and a chair, which the woman indicated he should sit in. The chair was clearly built for an adult, so Theta found himself straining to meet his own gaze in the mirror. His hair was dirty golden blond, and it fell to his shoulders in messy ringlets. Theta liked his hair. It was soft and curly, and it felt like the only part of himself that was truly unique, truly under his control.

He was justifiably upset then, when two more adult Time Lords entered and began to inspect his hair, touching and running their hands through the still damp locks. They exchanged a few words that Theta ignored, before one withdrew a pair of gold scissors from his robes. Theta tried to protest and leave the chair, but the other man held him in place, and so he sat quietly as tears ran down his face.

The scissors began to snip away, and Theta watched in trepidation as the damp chunks of hair fell to the floor. By the time his hair had dried fully, the ground was littered with the stuff. The man ran a fine toothed comb through his remaining hair, teasing out any knots, before nodding to his colleague and helping Theta to his feet. 

Theta stared in horror at his reflection. His hair, once long and wild, had been cut into an ugly bowl shape, barely reaching his ears. It was shiny and smooth, and Theta hated it with every fiber of his being. He began to cry again. He felt violated. His only consolation was that, despite their best efforts, the men had not been able to completely get rid of his curls, despite all their chopping and combing. 

He wasn't permitted so scrutinize his reflection long though, for the stern woman had seized his hand once again and dragged him from the room. He felt like a puppet, being tossed and dragged around, dressed up and made to perform against his will. He just wanted to go back to bed. Or better yet, to the barn.

After that fateful night, Theta hadn't returned to the barn. Before, the teachers had reluctantly allowed him to sleep there, to avoid waking the other boys with his crying. But after he'd been caught talking and sneaking around with Koschei, his privilages had been revoked and he'd had to sleep in the dormitories with the other Lungbarrow children.

Koschei. Theta hadn't seen the dark haired boy since that night. He thought about him sometimes, when he felt especially lonely or lost. The boy with the shining blue eyes and the quick wit. He wondered if they would ever meet again.

He thought about Clara, the woman, too. He often wondered where she had come from, for he had come to realize that she was most likely not Gallifreyan. He still kept her gift though. The little plastic man wearing the odd soldier's uniform, the one that she had said would protect him. He carried it around in his robes during the day, and slipped it under his pillow at night. Theta belatedly realized that he had forgotten the figure in his sleeping robes when he had bathed. He knew the chances we would be able to get him back were slim to none. Despite himself, a weak sob escaped his lips as tears streamed from his eyes.

His escort took no notice of his tears as she pulled him down another labyrinth of hallways. To pass the monotony, Theta tried to map out their route Left, right, right, left , left, upstairs, right, left, right, straight. He lost track after that, preferring to let his mind wander to more pleasent thoughts.

As the rounded another corner, Theta noticed a young girl, also in ceremonial robes, walking down the hallway with another adult. She appeared his age, with caramel skin and straight black hair cut in a similar, if longer, style to his own. It occurred to Theta for the first time that morning that he wasn't the only noviciate entering the Academy, though he knew it was against common practice to allow the new recruits to meet before initiation. 

The girl gave him an encouraging, slightly pitying smile. Theta tried to smile back, but he was still crying and it came out more as a grimace. But before he could ask her anything, or even muster up a proper smile, he was being pulled away once again. He craned his neck, trying to get another look at her, but she had already rounded a corner and was out of his sight.

After seemingly hours of walking, they stopped in front of another unassuming wooden door. It had no doorknob, and Theta wondered briefly how the woman would be able to open it. She gently touched the wood paneling, and closed her eyes. A moment later, there was a faint click, and the door swung smoothly open. He was pushed gently inside.

"Wait here." The woman's voice sounded very loud after the silence of their journey. "You will be collected when it is time for your initiation."

The door was pushed shut, and there was another click as some internal locking mechanism engaged.

This room was identical to the rest of the initiation hall. Stone floors, wood panelled walls trimmed with crimson. No chair or mirrors this time, only a geometric stone bench that, though matching the aesthetic, was highly uncomfortable. Theta tried to get comfortable on the floor, but soon got bored and began to fiddle with the door.

It didn't seem to have any knob, or anywhere to input a codeor insert a key. When Theta pushed on it, it didn't budge, even when he pushed woth his entire body. The words "isomorphic telepathic lock" came to his mind. He had learned about them in one of the books from the family library. They could only be unlocked by one with a trained mind, and even then, you had to have been given access by either the maker or the buyer on order qto open them. They were rarely used for important matters, as a skilled telepath could circumvent the barriers in the lock.

Theta Sigma however, was not a skilled telepath. Even if he had access to the lock, he wouldn't have the first idea how to open the door. He had read about telepathy of course, but it was one thing to know how it worked, and another to do it. Young Time Lords didn't begin to study the arts of mental combat and communication until several years into their schooling at the Academy, and even then many would never master the delicate science.

Theta paced the room for awhile, trying to find anything worth his attention in this boring room. He noticed the ceiling was painted with intersecting red lines, he occupied himself by lying on his back and tracing the shapes in his mind. Soon though, this grew boring too, so Theta closed his eyes and recited the periodic table.

Once he had gone through all 238 elements, he returned to the beginning and recited their atomic mass, then their density, then their melting and boiling points. 

He found a moderately sharp pebble in a corner, and used it to etch Gallifreyan symbols into the soft wood. First his name, than his age and the date. He tried to draw the Citadel, but wasn't happy with how it looked, so he scratched it out.

He plucked out a few strands of his hair, and braided them. He did this two more times, and the braided those three together into a sturdy, if short, string. 

He looked at his reflection in the polished surface of the bench, and fiddled with his new haircut. After a great deal of messing, he had gotten it to a point where he no longer felt so stupid. 

He practiced his martial arts positions, flowing through the movements as gracefully as he could in the cramped space. Hand-to-hand combat was rare on Gallifrey, but the traditional forms were still taught to children as a way to calm their minds and exercise their bodies. Theta didn't normally enjoy the repetetive and formulaic movements, but he was so bored that he didn't much care.

At one point, he tried to take a nap, but he was still to stressed, and the hardwood floors didn't make an ideal bed, so he gave up.

He thought about ripping segments off of his robes and weaving them together, but decided that the punishment he would receive wasn't worth any potential enjoyment he would get out of it.

Eventually, he ran out of things to do, and simply flopped down on the floor, defeated and annoyed. He wasn't even nervous about initiation anymore. He just wanted to leave. But instead, he lay down, eyes closed and hands clasped neatly over his chest. He stayed like this until, finally, he heard a faint, but very precise "click" from the door.

There was no clock in the room, nor was there any window from which Theta could see the sun's. Despite that, his body's internal clock told him that he had been in this Otherforsaken room for nearly 8 hours. He sprung to his feet, all his trepidation and nervousness flooding back almost instantly. 

The door opened, and the man who had come to collect him in the morning stepped inside. He looked at Theta, not a hint of emotion in his grey eyes.

"It's time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! The next chapter should have some more Thoschei content, so thanks for sticking through the boring bits. Criticism is much appreciated!


	4. The Initiation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Hope you like it :)

Two adult Time Lords escorted Theta from the Initiation Hall. Despite the seemingly endless walk to the room, it took no more than five minutes to reach the great stone doors leading to the courtyard. Grey cobblestone ringed by scarlet pillars, all underneath a glimmering night sky. Here, more Time Lords awaited him. They wore large ornate collars, signifying their high rank. Theta bowed to each of them in turn, as was custom. 

Without even knowing it, he had stopped breathing for several minutes, causing his respiratory bypass to engage. He released it, shakily filling his lungs with the cold night air. He could hear his hearts beating in his chest, drumming away in a neverending quatrain. 

The courtyard was scattered with Time Lords with varying levels of authority. Some wore simple red robes, similar to his own, while others wore ornate capes trimmed with gold, and towering brass collars engraved with circular characters.

A tall, dark skinned man with deep set eyes approached him. Theta didn't recognize him, but he exuded enough raw power and authority that Theta had no doubt he was in charge. The man looked down at Theta, who suddenly felt very small. He studied the boy, not unkindly, and Theta felt himself looking around the courtyard, as he could not meet his iron gaze.

He could see the edges of the Schism behind the crowd. Swirling flashes of purple and blue and colours that cannot be seen, let alone comprehended by humans. A bleeding wound in the fabric of time, glowing against the stone background. Theta craned his neck to get a better view, but before he could, he felt a strip of cloth cover his eyes. His view was blocked, and he instinctually reached up to free himself, before remembering his decorum and returning his hands to his sides.

Someone had blindfolded him, and not without good reason. A few more seconds and he would have seen the true might of the Vortex, without first reciting his vows. The strip of cloth was wide and thick, and Theta couldn't see anything other than his own feet, even when he turned his head.

He heard someone, he assumed it was the leader, standing nearby. "Very well then. Shall we begin?"

Theta nodded, and the man began to speak once again.

"Theta Sigma of the Lungbarrow house, you have been brought here to fulfill your duty to the universe, and to learn the to of what separates the Time Lords from the lesser races." His voice was a rich baritone, and it boomed across the courtyard. "In doing so, you will begin to understand the true nature of Time, as well as earning yourself a place in the Pyrodinian Academy. Are you prepared to accept these burdens, and take your place as a Time Lord of Gallifrey?"

Theta took a deep breath and began to recite the vows he had been taught.

"I, Th-theta Sigma of the Lungb-b-barrow house, accept with the utmos-st solemnity the duties placed upon me by the High Council of Gallifrey, and all the responsabilities that come with the title of T-t-time Lord. I vow to uphold the Pryodonian code, and to never use my powers over time to interfere with other p-peoples and planets." 

Theta felt awkward, and stopped to clear his throat before continuing. "I v-vow to perform my duties with honour and respect, and to acknowledge the superiority of my elders."

"Then, Theta Sigma, are you ready to gaze into the Untempered Schism, and apprehend the vastness of the Time Vortex?"

Theta tried to breath deeply, but found he was shaking too much to do so. He pressed his eyes tightly together, then opened them, staring into the blackness of the blindfold

"I am."

Large hands gripped his shoulders, guiding him through the crowd. He felt the fingers tug at the back of his head, and the blindfold fell away, leaving Theta free to absorb the sight before him.

And oh, what a sight it was.

Thinking back on it later, Theta would have had trouble describing what he saw. It was... it was like somebody had cut a slice out of eternity. It was Time itself, pulsing and bleeding and alive, like reality was tearing itself apart and stitching itself back together a trillion times per second. Within seconds, Theta felt thousands of spears tearing at his consciousness. He felt like his very soul was being wrended in two. His mind was invaded by a foreign presence. Something so vast and ancient that Theta couldn't begin to understand it. It hurt so much. Tears began to stream from his eyes. He tried to run, to look away, but his body refused to obey his will, so there he stood, staring into the vastness of the universe.

Time had lost all meaning. Matter was inconsequential. He still stood in the courtyard, but at the same time, every atom of his body was being shredded and scattered across the galaxies. The world glowed around him, and for one, horrible, glorious moment, Theta Sigma saw... Everything. Everything that was, everything that had ever been or ever could be. The birth of the universe and its final whimper as it died, and everything in between. 

And then it was gone, and he was just a small, scared boy, curled up on the cold stones, sobbing like he hadn't sobbed since that fateful day in the barn. Upon realizing he had regained control of his body, Theta scrambled to his feet, took one last terrified look at the Schism, and ran.

He pressed through the crowd of bodies, through a set of double doors he would later have sworn hadn't been there earlier. And then he was flying through the cold night, his legs moving seemingly of their own accord. He didn't know where he was going, or what he hoped to achieve, only that something awful and primal had awoken in him, and that he needed to run. 

And run he did. Out of the city walls, through a meadow of red grass. The tall stalks parted before him, as if even the plants themselves were afraid of this scared little boy, of what he could become. He ran, and when his chest began to hurt, he ran some more. He might've continued forever, if not for his legs, which eventually gave out from under him, sending him sprawling in the dirt.

There he lay, panting, for several eternities. When he finally returned to his feet, he saw that he was at least a half hour's walk from Arcadia. The golden city, lit brilliantly, no matter the time. The lights shimmered in the darkness, creating a halo of light around the mass of buildings.

Theta turned away from the city to behold the sight in front of him. Away from the lights and commotion of the city, he could see great swaths of stars and galaxies, scattered across the sky like some divine being had scattered a handful of glowing dust over black velvet. There was a faint breeze, and it made the red grasses ripple and sway as if it were a single living breathing organism. 

He took a few steps, and realized he stood near a cliff, dropping down into a deep valley of bioluminescent purple flowers. Theta sat down, and swung his legs over the rocky outcropping so that they dangled over the drop.

His mind was still reeling from the Vortex. He struggled for a moment to comprehend the sheer vastness and impossibility of what he had seen. After a moment, he began to feel dizzy ang his hearts began to race, so he distracted himself by naming the planets and stars he could see. After awhile, his breathing began to slow again, and a deep sense of sadness settled over him. He wasn't panicking anymore, but he just felt... Lonely. One being, on a planet home to over 50 billion, a galaxy home to quadrillions, and a universe containing uncounted masses. And here he was, just one boy, alone in the night, not for the first time, and not for the last.

He briefly contemplated walking back to Arcadia, back to the grown ups. He'd be reprimanded, washed, dressed, and put to bed. A week later, he would be brought to the Capitol, along with the other noviciates, to begin his training at the Academy. He'd be taught for 100 years, then graduate to become a guardian over time, upholding the legacy of the Time Lords for 13 long, boring lives.

That all seemed terribly far away. Theta preferred to focus on right here, right now. The gentle breeze caressing his face, the valley of glowing violets and clear running water, and far off in the distance, the snow peaked mountain that separated Arcadia from the Citadel. All was the way it should be.

Except it wasn't. There, in the corner of his vision, there was something else. Down in the valley, a trail of flowers had been crushed and broken leading up to a dark shape, curled up on the ground. It seemed as if they had fallen down the slope, and Theta was jolted out of his revelry as he realized they might be hurt. 

He tried to edge himself slowly down the steep walls of the valley, but he lost his grip on the dusty ground and fell tumbling down. The world spun around him for a few seconds, before he landed with a soft "thud" among prickly red leaves and bioluminescent purple blossoms. The wind was knocked briefly out of Theta's lungs, but he recovered and pushed himself up to his feet. His once immaculate ceremonial robes were dusty and torn in several places, but he didn't care. His attentions were focused on the trembling figure huddled a few yards away. 

Theta approached cautiously, and began to make out black hair, and the same deep red robes he himself was wearing. A boy, just like himself. His back was turned, but Theta could see his hand, long and pale, tapping a repetitive motion into his thigh. Four beats, and a rest. Four beats, and a rest. The sound of Gallifreyan heartbeats.

The boy wasn't crying, but he was shaking slightly, and he seemed not to hear Theta's approaching footsteps, or maybe he just didn't care. Theta had heard stories of initiates going mad after staring into the Vortex, and he didn't blame them.

Theta was unsure what to do. It was obvious that this boy had just gone through his initiation, but they only did one initiation every two hours, to ensure they didn't have too many crazy kids running around the city. That meant this boy had been out here at least two hours, if not more. He carefully bent down and placed what he hoped was a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. His tapping stopped, and he was perfectly still.

Theta looked at the boy's face, and his hearts stopped.

It was him. Koschei. The boy who had comforted him in the barn on that lonely night. The same pale, pointed face and clear blue eyes, but not shining like Theta remembered. Instead, they were glazed over, and staring out into nothing.

"Can you hear it?" Koschei voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper.

"Hear what?"

"The drums."

"What drums?" Theta began to move his hand gently over the coarse fabric, causing Koschei to tremble slightly.

"The drums! They- they came to me. Through time. Echoing. They're telling me things. T-to hurt. To k-kill. I-i don't want to. But they're just... Too... LOUD!" His last word came out as a shout, echoing over the plains. He slammed his hands over his ears, undoubtedly trying to block out the invisible drums.0

Theta should have felt scared. Scared of this broken boy screaming at the night. He should have ran. But instead, he reached out and gently ran his hand over the Koschei's jet black hair. It was soft and smooth, cut into the same dumb bowl shape as his own.

"You don't need to hurt anyone. There's no drums. It's just the Schism. It- it made me see things too. I was- I am, scared. More scared than I've ever been. But... don't you see? They're trying to break us. Trying to turn us into perfect soldiers. But we can't let them." Theta was unsure where this burst of eloquence had come from, but he wasn't complaining.

The boy remained silent, but his hands loosened their grips on his ears.

"But... the drums..."

"D'you know about Earth?"

Koschei nodded slightly.

"On Earth, drums aren't only for ceremonies an' wars. The people who live there use them for music . The drums help add rythm and stuff to their songs, and keep them grounded." Theta continued to stroke Koschei's hair, his hands moving seemingly of their own accord.

Koschei didn't move.

"What I'm saying is, you don't need to listen to the drums. You can- you can hear them, and let them help remind you of who you are. But don't let them control you."

Finally, the huddled form rolled over to face him. If he recognized Theta, it didn't show on his face.

"But... they're so loud. I don't know if I can..."

The look on his face was one of such pain and desperation, that without thinking, Theta leant down and wrapped his arms around him. The angle was awkward, and it felt more like he was shielding Koschei with his arms than hugging him. 

It was nice.

Centuries later, Theta would hug that boy again in the same way. But everything would be different then.

"I get it. But I'll help you. I'll help you ignore the drums. Maybe together we can fix them. But I promise, I'll do everything I can to help."

Theta pulled away, and looked Koschei dead in the eyes.

"You helped me in the barn, so I'll help you now."

A flicker of recognition crossed Koschei's face, and some of the glassiness faded from his eyes. He pushed himself into a seated position.

"It's you." His voice cracked slightly.

"Yeah." Replied Theta.

"I never thought I'd see you again." There was a slightly unnerving lack of emotion in Koschei's voice.

"Me neither."

"You're hurt."

Theta followed his gaze, and saw that his robes had been torn open, leaving a bloody gash on his shoulder. It didn't hurt.

"I'm fine. s'not bad."

"You should go see a medic. I'll stay here." Theta noticed that, for the first time, tears were glistening in Koschei's lake blue eyes.

"I'm not leaving." It was non negotiable.

Koschei looked at him in genuine confusion.  
"Why not?"

"I promised I'd help."

Tears began so spill from Koschei's eyes, rolling down his pale cheeks and falling in the dirt. The stars reflected off the tear tracks, making it appear like he was crying the universe itself.

"You..." Koschei started, then broke off as he was overcome by emotion. He began to sob in earnest, taking great, shuddering breaths and hugging himself. 

Theta tried to think of something to say, but couldn't, so instead he turned towards Koschei and pulled him into a tight hug. Koschei's face pressed into his shoulder, dampening it with his tears. Tears trickled into his wound. It stung, but Theta ignored it. He felt Koschei hesitate for a minute, then return the embrace, clutching the torn fabric of his robes like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood.

The two boys clung together, underneath the starry sky, for what felt like an eternity. At that point in time, they were the only two beings in the universe. It didn't matter how large or crowded it was, because it didn't feel so lonely when they had each other.

Eventually, they separated. They sat there awhile, staring at the stars in companionable silence, which was eventually broken by Theta.

"Do you wanna climb back up? There's a better view." 

Koschei nodded, and together they ascended the steep bank. It was easier with two of them. Koschei climbed up first, with the help of a boost from Theta, then reached his arm down and helped the other boy up out of the valley. They were both dirty, exhausted, and, in Theta's case, bloodied. But Theta thought he hadn't been this happy in months.

Theta was right, the view was better from above. Not only were the stars visible, but also the great snow peaked mountaind and rolling hills. Small Shobogan villages were visible between the mountains, and Theta thought they looked so tiny, like the doll's houses he'd played with as a toddler. Behind the mountains, the tip of the Citadel's glass dome was visible. Theta tried not to think about that.

"We should probably head back." Said Koschei quietly.

"Probably." Agreed Theta.

"Do you wanna?"

"Not really. You?"

"Nah."

Neither of them knew weather they meant going back that instant, or going back at all.

It didn't really matter.

They stayed on that cliffside all night. Sometimes they talked and laughed like there was nothing wrong, and sometimes they sat in peaceful silence for minutes on end. On more than one occasion, one of them would start to cry, and the other would hold them in his arms until their tears dried. 

Neither of them spoke again of walking back to the city, but when the first rays of the western sun began to spill over the horizon, they both knew it was time to go. Wordlessly, Theta stood up and helped Koschei to his feet. The two boys walked, hand in hand, towards the towering city of Arcadia. 

They would have 100 long years of study ahead of them, but they both felt that they could endure it, so long as they had each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Not quite sure where to story is going from here, but I have some ideas. Chapter 5 will be out in a few weeks, if all goes to plan. I'm also working on some artwork to go with this chapter, so that should be coming soon.
> 
> As always, criticism and comments are more than welcome!


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